5 common bodybuilding mistakes

Magazines are full of images of men with rippling muscles, but creating your own version of the body beautiful can be much easier said than done. The fact is, many bodybuilders fall into bad habits when they’re trying to build mass and tone up. Here are five of the most common bodybuilding mistakes to watch out for.

1) Ignore the importance of nutrition

Everyone knows that building muscle means spending many long hours at the gym. However, the importance of a protein packed, healthy diet is often overlooked. If you don’t focus on the food you put into your body, your efforts to tone up could quickly come off the rails. It’s just as important to sort out your diet as it is to stick to a fitness plan. Try to cut down on fat and make sure you eat plenty of lean protein. You can also use supplements that are rich in ingredients like whey protein and creatine in a bid to boost your bodybuilding efforts. It’s now easy to pick these products up from specialist suppliers like Monster Supplements.

2) Try to get too far too fast

Regardless of how ambitious your targets are, don’t fall into the trap of trying to get too far too fast. Lots of people overstretch themselves and this can lead to potentially serious injuries. Remember, if you damage your body, your training regime will grind to a halt, so it’s simply not worth the risk. Don’t launch into routines that are on a par with the professionals. Instead, start small and work your way up to heavier weights and more repetitions. If possible, enlist the help of a professional when creating your fitness regime. These experts will know how much you can take on.

3) Fail to work the right muscles

It can be tempting to work on specific muscles. For example, lots of bodybuilders focus on areas like their biceps. However, it’s inefficient to focus on specific exercises that only work isolated muscle groups. Instead, it pays off to do compound movements that work more than one joint at a time. For example, pull-ups, squats, press-ups and deadlifts are all good examples of efficient exercises.

4) Neglect the legs

The caricature of a bodybuilder is someone with a huge upper body and thin, spindly legs. Unfortunately, this is an all too common sight in gyms. While cartoons might over exaggerate this effect, it’s true that lots of fitness fanatics focus on their arms and torsos at the expense of their lower bodies. For a balanced overall look, make sure you pay attention to your legs. To achieve this, set aside enough time to do exercises like squats and lunges.

5) Stick to cigarettes and alcohol

We’re all aware that cigarettes and alcohol are bad for health. However, not everyone knows exactly how damaging these things can be to bodybuilding regimes. Bear in mind that smoking puts more carbon monoxide into the body, and this prevents the muscles from getting as much oxygen as they would normally. In turn, this can make gym sessions more difficult and less fruitful. Meanwhile, alcohol is packed with empty calories that are useless for exercise but can quickly cause you to pile on the pounds around your gut.